[IanB]

My 6+ year old 'puter is getting clunky - drivers getting sketchy, or maybe worse, concerns about the motherboard. I'd just go get a new machine, but am still slogging along with ancient software that powers my business, (Adobe InDesign 2.0, MS Office 2000, etc.), and my understanding is that none of it will run on a new 64-bit computer. I am very non-tech-savvy. (Desktop computer, no cell phone, still listening to CD's and watching DVD's.) I had to make Windows 7 look like '95 to be able to get any work accomplished, so I am assuming Windows 10 would not be my friend. So the question: If I do have to make a huge, money-labor-learning curve switch soon, should I get a new machine and make a leap to Linux, OpenOffice, Scribus, etc. that I've been reading about? Suggestions?

[mike]

My computer is probably older than yours and still runs current apps just fine. Open Office at least is pretty similar to what you are used too in Office 2000. InDesign CS2 is a free download. They all run fine on a 64bit OS in my case win7x64. They just install to the x86 folder rather than the 64bit. I think it depends on your existing hardware whether or not it's worthwhile to get a new computer. Maybe a new SSD and more RAM is all you need. Even if your hdwr is 32bit you still should be fine.

[Randito]

Linux is much easier to administer now than back in the days when you needed to rebuild the kernel for your machine. But is not for non-nerds. If you ate going to invest that much time and effort, why not learn HTML5+Typescript and pickup some contract work and earn some extra dough?

[tigermn]

[DigitalJanitor]

Lurves me the Linux/FreeBSD-ses! BUT... sadly, you've got to make do with something like Gimp on *nix as Photoshop doesn't run on it. And I can tell you Gimp doesn't have the omph Photoshop has, and that's one major thing holding me back from ditching Windows entirely at home. And honestly: If you had trouble with the leap from XP to 7, I'm telling you now it's NOTHING compared to going from Windows to Linux. It can be done but that's a steep learning curve.

[Malachai Constant]

Linux is great if you are in the academic or industry mode. It is not well suited for ordinary use such as web browsing or word processing, although it can do both well. I mostly use OS 10 but that is because I am lazy now..

[HitTheTrail]

My last employer switched me over from the IBM mainframe to a UNIX work station(running Solaris) 15 years before they force retired me. The transition was a little awkward at first but the more I used it the more I started saying to myself “my god, the folks who wrote this may have been smoking weed but they were all geniuses”. Linux is nothing but a PC version of UNIX.

[cdestroyer]

as mentioned above linux has a rather steep learning curve. the later versions are somewhat similar to windows but there is no quick install feature you would need to build/compile most programs in order to run...not a non tekkie software...6 yr old pc is not bad,,,if your are worried and are not internet intensive why not just find a newer faster used machine running something like vista that has a faster cpu and more memory.....

[Tom]

New PCs w/ Windows seem dirt cheap. Not sure a liinux machine would save you that much money. Can't you run OpenOffice, Scribus, etc. on Windows? I recall trying OpenOffice a while back on a Windows PC that didn't have MS Office and it seemed to work just fine without a hefty learning curve.

[IanB]

Wow - Thank you all for the helpful replies! (Though even some of what I'm reading is above my pay grade.)

[Randito]

[mike]

[mike]

[boot up]

[tigermn]

Most 32 bit software seems to work OK on Windows 7,8,10 or whatever. There are as few things that won't. You don't really have to anything. Just install them (they install as 32 bit apps in the Program Files (x86) folder instead of the Program Files folder. In fact I notice a lot more stuff installed in the (X86) folder (32 bit apps).